Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-08-30
Fortunes Made by a Toy.

The ingenious toy maker of old who made
a coach and four, complete to all details,
so small that the shell of a hazleDut would
cover it, has been surpassed in the line ofin-
genious pavthings by Rhode Island Yankee.
With true shrewdness this tov maker has so
constructed his creations that they make
money and draw it from two channels into
one Golfer. The devices are the little gold
and silver steamers, locomotives, fre-engines
and Corliss engines, which are found in the
luxurious New York saloons and hotel lob
bies, in one amusement hall and in public re-
sorts all over the Union.
The idea of constructing these toys, whose
mechanism should be made TO move by
dropping nickels into slot in the pedestal on
which thew rested, originated with an ingen-
ious New England model maker, and fortunes
are now being made out of the enterprise.
One large firm in Providence, r. L.. has a
large factory devoted eotirely to the business
and scores of men employed. Strange to
say, the makers refuse to FELL their goods
Recently the proprietor of the principal hotel
on Union Square, New York. offered the
manufacturer in question $4,000 for the
model of a steam fire engine. the machinery
of which runs to the tunes of q music box
after one has dropped nickel into the slot
in the pedestal. The offer refused be-
cause the firm never permits its goods to
60 out of its possession. They lease
the toys for the handsome sum of $50 per
month, or give the proprietors of profitable
resorts a percentage of the income In cases
where a percentage is given, the collector OF
bank, designated by the owners, calls once
a week to clean out the nickels that the toy
has accumulated, and to give the proprietor
of the place his share, which never exceeds
I 80 per cent In popular resorts the income
/ g. m 80 and 21o 81 day
They are models of fire. engines, locomotives
| or steamers of certain well known manufsc-
lures or lines, which pay the company for
making them handsome sum for advertising
their corporations. Thus money from two
sources accrues to the rich Yankees who
/ originated the idea.
One of the first of their machines was the
model of steamboat placed in Chicsgo
saloon of note. Since that steamer was put
/ in profitable operation more than dozen de-
vices have been placed in New York resorts,
and the makers have their models in
saloons as far west as Denver
and as far south as Texas. In the
places freuuented by the poorer classes they
have music boxes, which are operated by
dropping cents into the slots. The average
income is SIS per day. The Yankee has not
vet been able to make music boxes that can
equal those of the Swiss manufacturers, and
the makers of the toys in question, ell OF
which are provided with music boxes, send
abroad $50, 900 year for them The most
profitable model is steam fire engine.
magnificent locomotive, perfect as TO every
detail, ranks next in popularity. Its
machinery works. its electric headlight blszes
forth, and a music box underneath it PLAYS
popular airs at the instance of nickel In
few weeks hsbitues of one New York place
/ who choose to spend their nickels on the de-
vice will see the perfect model of modern,
/ perfecting printing press, which will throw
/ Of as souvenirs copies of newspaper. The
manufacturers will derive income from the
ROYALTY paid by the newspaper advertised. or
/ from certain firms whose advertisements sp-
ear in the souvenir
| In addition TO these toys are the machines
made bv New York firm which gather in
the nickels at a surprising rate in much fire.
auented resorts. One of these gives the
depositor of a nickel shock OF electricity.
and another shows him his weight. One of
the most popular inventions in this line is q
little apparatus which, when nickel is
dropped into il, throws out receptacle and
presents the doner of the cent piece with a
package of candy. The stock of the COM
psnv making these machines last mentioned
is so greedily taken up that none is on the
market. Branch corporations for introducing
their nickel collectors in Europe are to be
organized.
The New England inventor who first
originated the idea is making a mil ture
race course for sporting resorts. Several
little horses run about scircular hurdle track